Audit Slams Former Sheriff

A scathing audit of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO)
suggests former Sheriff Simon Leis crippled technological developments,
stacked leadership positions with political cronies and still kept his
staff fiercely loyal during his 25-year reign over the sheriff’s office.

According to the Oct. 15 audit, the
result was an agency “largely frozen in time” that failed at adopting
modern standards and practices for policing and corrections facilities.

As one example, the audit found the
agency still uses what it colloquially calls “The Book,” a single,
massive paper-based trove of financial data and other information,
instead of modern technologies, such as computer spreadsheets. Not only
did the agency insist on sticking to the old ways of keeping records,
but one unit head reportedly told auditors that she simply does not
trust computers.

The audit presents various issues for
Hamilton County: outdated policing policies, exposure to possible
litigation and an overworked, under-trained staff.

Leis’ policies also had a negative effect on newcomers trying to build a career on the county force, according to the audit.

One staff commander interviewed for the
audit reportedly said the failure to identify, train and promote new
leaders created “The Lost Generation” at HCSO.

One explanation for the dire
circumstances, according to the audit, is that the agency completely
lacked inspection and planning functions that would have examined
policies and practices for certain standards and established plans to
fix discovered errors.

Another possible cause: The audit found
five years of cuts created staffing gaps in several areas, particularly
correctional facilities.

Still, the audit found the sheriff’s
staff is so loyal that its members would quickly embrace and adapt to
changes given through the chain of command.

The audit recommends various new
investments and changes in standards for HSCO.

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It notes that some of the
investments, such as a greater focus on modern technology, could help
make the agency’s work more efficient and allow a reduction of non-sworn
staff — and the costs associated with them — through attrition.

But the investments would involve a
substantial policy shift for Hamilton County, which carried out major
budget cuts in the past six years just to get to a point this year where
large reductions or tax increases aren’t necessary to balance the
annual budget.

Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neil promised
the audit during his 2012 campaign. It was conducted by former American
Civil Liberties Union attorney Scott Greenwood and former Cincinnati
Police Chief Tom Streicher.